Sengoku Strays: Two Anachronisms
by WishMeLuckie
Summary: Kusanagi Kasane, a young high school girl skilled in kendo, finds herself suddenly transported to the Sengoku Period  or Warring States period in Japanese history. In a twist on the original, Kasane's kendo club captain, Ishikawa Kei, is transported too!
1. Chapter 1

**My first fanfic, so be kind please! X3**

**I don't own anything, only my OC Kei.**

Spring, 2011, Hokkaido-

CLANG!

Cheers and cries of encouragement rang out from one side.

The opposing side, however, was a completely different story. The team members groaned and sighed as another one of them was beaten back.

Suddenly, two of them received a smack on the head.

"Hey you! Hachiaya!"

The two friends warily looked up. Their team's vice-captain loomed over them, rolled-up paper in hand.

"What're you doing! Why aren't you cheering her on!" she demanded.

They shuffled nervously and one of them pointed at the paper the vice-captain was holding. On it was a list of the members and their opponents.

"Even if you say that...Just look at the match line-up." One of them remarked. "Our first opponent in the spring High School Kendo Competition are the old champs, Aoba! And with you out with and injury and the captain out as usual, that leaves us with four members."

Both sadly nodded, and the second finished, "No matter how hard we try, we don't have a prayer! If only the captain would participate." They drooped down and sighed in unison.

The team vice-captain smiled knowingly and said, "That's why you have to cheer!" They looked up cautiously. She grinned and added, "We've still got our 'general'."

Just then, the third member of the team returned, drenched in sweat. She tiredly pulled off her helmet as the second member helped her.

"Sorry Kusanagi," she sighed. "Your turn now, general. I don't want them to win it all, so if you could get at least one..." she fidgeted nervously.

The fourth member of the team, a young freshman girl, looked up from her position on the end of the bench.

"Eh? Why one?" she asked innocently.

"Why one? Er-"

The third member, now resting on the bench, was suddenly cut off as a loud "HEEEYY" burst in from the spectator stands. Everyone turned around and stared at the two young boys, who were yelling in their direction.

"HEY! Hey Sis!" the twins yelled, waving energetically together.

"Oh! Masamune! Kotetsu!" the fourth member, their older sister, replied.

"Go for it Kasane!" Kotetsu yelled.

"Beat all five! All five! Piece of cake!" Masamune hollered.

"All five...As if it were that simple..." the third member said uncertainly.

Kasane, however, clenched her fist and grinned. "Don't worry! I'll win!" she exclaimed confidently. "I'll win!".

The boys' kendo group, standing behind the female vice-captain, watched as the two opponents prepared themselves. One of them, a sophomore, voiced his uncertainties about Kasane.

"The girls' "general"...Isn't she just a freshmen? I heard her home is an iaido dojo or something. But how come a freshman is the 'general'?"

The rest of the boys all nodded in agreement.

The vice-captain grinned. "Strength, technique, style... Pick any of those, and she stands out far above the rest. And that's not all I'm expecting from her. Indeed, she almost matches up to the captain herself!"

The boy who had spoken chuckled uncertainly. " 'almost matches up to the captain'...? Don't spoil her too much."

The vice-captain turned to face him and raised an eyebrow. "Do you doubt my judgment?" she asked.

The boy nervously shook his head. "N-No! Of course not! It's just... I don't think _anyone _can come even close to the captain's skill."

The vice-captain continued to stare at him, then softened and smiled. "Alright, I see why you would doubt me. After all, you haven't seen her skills yet." Her voice hardened again. "But still, next time I won't be so forgiving." S

he turned back around and the group focused back on the match. "Just watch this fight and you'll see."

Kasane breathed out and tugged on her helmet strap. "_Calm down, this will be a piece of cake_." she thought to herself.

Feeling better, she smacked her cheeks to clear her head as the referee yelled out loudly from his position.

"FIGHTERS, STEP FORWARD!"

Kasane announced herself as she assumed her position. "Kenjou High freshman Kusanagi Kasane, PRESENT!"

The ref looked to the other side and yelled,"Then you may...BEGIN!"

[After the match, late afternoon]

A young boy's voice rang out in the still afternoon air as the small family walked home.

"But you were sooo _cool_! You won five in a row!"

Kasane, who was pushing her bike forward with her kendo equipment on her back, blushed modestly and rubbed the back of her head. "Really? I guess I did."

Kotetsu, her younger brother, balanced her duffel bag on his shoulder. "Yeah!" he encouraged.

Masamune, the other twin, held onto Kasane's _shinai_ and added, "You shocked both your friends and opponents! Except your vice-captain, she just watched with a weird smile on her face and said 'Ahaha, just as I expected.'"

Kasane grinned and remarked, "The vice is always like that, I think it's funny."

Kotestu asked, "Oh yeah sis, where's your captain? Isn't she that genius person? Why doesn't she participate in the matches?"

Kasane pondered his question for a moment, and replied, "Well, she's not allowed to participate in any competitions. I heard from rumors that when she was a freshman she sent her opponents to the hospital, so the High School Kendo competition board barred her from the competition."

Kasane looked down at her younger brothers, who were staring up at her.

"What?" she blushed.

Masamune smirked and exclaimed, "No way sis, that's impossible! No one is as good as you! They're just rumors."

Kotetsu nodded in agreement. The two brothers looked up to their sister, who was the pillar of support in the family.

Kasane smiled and ruffled Masamune's hair. "Thanks guys." she said. "But she already beat me in the fall last year, during the matches held among the members."

Kotestu and Masamune looked up and surprise at her. "WHAT?" they yelled.

Kasane grinned wryly. "The club has matches to determine each member's status. The captain came out on top, I was second place, and the vice was third. Freshmen members can't be captain or vice-captain, so I didn't become anything."

Kotetsu and Masamune both became visibly depressed upon hearing Kasane's words. "But sis, you're so strong!" they moaned.

Kasane smiled and patted their heads. "It's okay guys, really! The team captain really is a genius! She's so cool too!"

Masamune pouted. "Ehh..." he said.

Kasane quickly switched topics. "But now we've gotten through the first match of the spring tournaments! I have to get back to my part-time job tomorrow, too. I'm going to blaze through the next match in the exact same way!"

Kotestu and Masamune, now happier, cheered in unison. "Yeahh~!"

"If you get into the national championships like this," Kotetsu exclaimed, "a whole bunch of folks will go join Grandpa's dojo!"

Kasane turned and grinned at him. "Oh! You're such an optimist Kotestu!"

She looked back down at her bike and said, "Right now it's just a small dojo, but one day I'm going to inherit both the house and the dojo, and it's my dream to make it much, much bigger!"

Masamune sighed. "Considering Gramps, you aren't going to be inheriting it anytime this century. He's never going to retire."

Kasane turned around to face him and clenched her fist. "That's the thing, Masamune!" she agreed. "I've got to show them what I've got so people will acknowledge me. I have to stick to it until he tells me I'm good enough! And that'll be it!"

Suddenly a mother and her child, returning from the nearby kindergarten, approached.

"Oh! Hello!" the mother said kindly to the trio as her daughter stared at them curiously.

All three turned around to face them and exclaimed energetically, "Hi there!" (Kasanagi family rule: Always greet people with energy.)

As the mother and daughter walked away, the daughter whispered to her mom, "Mom those guys were really energetic!" The mother bent down and said, "They were, weren't they?"

Kasane noticed Kotestu and Masamune staring at the mom and daughter as the walked away.

She bent down, smiled, and drew them closer to herself. "Since mom and dad are gone...Masamune, Kotestu, you guys have to grow up big and strong."

The twins looked at Kasane and murmured "Sis."

Kasane grinned and said, "Just leave everything to me! I'll take care of you guys, the house, and the dojo!"

They both smiled. "Yeah!" Masamune said. "We'll help out too!" Kotestu exclaimed.

Kasane, unable to resist their cuteness, huggled them and said, "You're such good boys." with anime-esque tears streaming down her cheeks.

A passing businessmen said "?" in confusion as he watched the trio pose together.

Kasane stood back up and nodded at Masamune. They had already arrived in front of the electronics store, and the grocery store wasn't far ahead.

"Alright Masamune, go blaze through the grocery store!" Kasane exclaimed as they clenched their fists in unison.

"Yeah! You got it, I already know what's on sale!" Masamune replied confidently.

Meanwhile, Kotestu's eye caught an interesting tidbit of information being announced on the the televisions on display in the store window.

"Ah! Look here Kasane." he remarked, pointing at the television screen.

A female announcer chatted as a line of text flashed on the bottom.

"Hm? 'Vanished'...?" Kasane read.

Masamune, joining in the conversation, said, "Ah! They still haven't found that kid."

Kasane, who was looking at Masamune, turned as Kotestu began speaking.

"Look, you remember that corruption scandal before? About the old Minister of Finance."

Kasane quickly caught on and said, "Oh! Agazuma, right?"

Kotestu nodded and continued. "His child went missing and hasn't been found yet."

Kasane, who hadn't heard of the event yet, thoughtfully said, "Really...? You know a lot Kotestu. But missing..." Kasane furrowed her brow, a bit dazed. "That kid must be lonely..."

Masamune chuckled and remarked, "If it were you, you'd find a way how no matter what!"

Kasane, who was still thinking, said as an afterthought, "I hope they find that kid soon..."

Masamune agreed, and the two turned and continued walking.

Kotestu, still lagging behind them, turned as he heard a sound.

VROOM... THUNK THUNK. CLATTER...

An interesting katana, which looked like it was antique, lay on the crosswalk behind him. A mysterious, large, blue bead hung from a ribbon attached to it's sheath.

"?" Kotetsu looked down at it as the bead twinkled in the sunlight. 'A sword...?' he thought. Looking back up, he glanced around to see if anyone had dropped it.

A truck lumbered off in the distance.

'Did it fall off that shop's van?' he said to himself.

Looking the left, Kotestu spotted an antique shop with dusty jars and dull-looking katana's on display. 'An antique shop...' he thought.

Turning back around, he yelled at Kasane and Masamune, who were chatting in front of him.

"Hey Kasane, Masamune!" The two looked back at him. "I found this weird sword here-" Kotestu said.

His voice was suddenly cut off by the screech of a truck's tire.

Kasane and Masamune's eye's widened in alarm.

"KOTESTU!" Kasane screeched loudly in alarm.

He glanced back in shock at the truck right behind him, it's driver frantically turning the wheel as to avoid him.

Meanwhile, the vice-captain was walking toward the scene, heading back home.

'Ah, those are the Kusanagi kids...' she thought absentmindedly. "...?"

Kasane's reflexes kicked in and she launched herself at Kotestu, directly in front of the truck.

_When...it happened, it lasted only a few seconds._

Kasane wrapped her arms around Kotestu and the sword as the truck leered behind them.

Time seemed to slow as the truck driver ducked, bracing for...impact. She vaguely heard Masamune yell "SIS!" and the vice-captain yell "KUSANAGI KASANE!", as if their screams of desperation could stop time and rescue the two.

Kasane felt her hand draw the sword from it's sheath.

CHING! FLARE

A bright, glaring light exploded from the sword, enveloping everything. Masamune shielded himself with his arms and squeezed his eyes shut.

SCREECH!

The truck narrowly avoided Kotestu, and flipped onto it's side.

As the dust cleared the observers began yelling. "There's a crash! Quick, someone call and ambulance!"

The vice-captain recovered from her shock and thought to herself, 'What! What was that blue light...?'

Meanwhile, Masamune had rushed over to Kotestu's side. "Are you okay Kotestu?" he exclaimed worriedly.

"Y-Yeah... I'm fine..." Kotestu replied.

He had various scrapes on his knees and arms, but no broken bones or major injuries. Suddenly he stiffened and looked up.

"But Masamune!" he yelled.

Masamune looked at him."?" he said, realization written across his face.

"Where's Kasane...?" Kotestu said, and the two looked around.

Their precious older sister was nowhere to be found. It was as if she had been wiped off the face of the earth. Her bike, lying prone on the ground, had been abandoned.

_Right then, no one had realized it yet, but..._

Kasane lay face-first in the grass, the katana in her hand. The blue bead was now a dull, pulsing shade, with a large crack on it's surface.

_In those few seconds...My life took a huge turn-_


	2. Chapter 2

**My first fanfic, so be kind please! X3**

**I don't own anything, only my OC Kei.**

The sound of horses thundered not far off in the distance, and through the mist one could see the vague outline of horsemen.

THUD THUD.

Kasane still lying on the grass, heard a faraway pounding.

THUD THUD.

'Hm? What...?' she thought.

THUD THUD.

The sound increased. 'The ground is kind of shaking...' she said to herself. '…Is this an earthquake?'

THUD...THUD!

Kasane suddenly pulled herself up and yelled, "Earthquake?" Two large shadows loomed over her.

Kasane instinctively shielded her head with her arms as the two large objects thundered by. Horses. Her eye's widening in shock, Kasane watched dumbly as the two horsemen rode past her. "Hah!" one of them yelled.

"Uh..." Kasane mumbled, feeling somewhat stupid. 'Horses?' she thought in surprise. "Wh-What's going on?" Kasane exclaimed, rustling the grass around her as she waved her arms. "Wh-What happened?"

The far off call of a crow snapped her back to attention. Kasane stood up and her eyes widened in shock. In front of her stretched miles of land, all without any tall buildings or cities. A small rugged road wound it's way through the fields of rice, leading to a small, uncivilized village made up of brush houses. Dumbly Kasane's mind registered that it was on fire. It looked like a picture out of a history textbook. Kasane felt her legs give way.

'Wh-Where _am_ I?' she thought. Suddenly her mind refocused. "Wait, what about Kotestu?" she yelled.

Kasane glanced hurriedly around, her brothers nowhere in sight. "Masamune, Kotestu!" she exclaimed, hoping her brothers would be somewhere near. A sudden rustle in the grass made Kasane turn around.

"Who's there!" a harsh, unknown voice called.

"?" Kasane exclaimed.

Two men, outfitted like samurai, strode towards her. The speaker, a tall man, rested a hand on his sword and regarded her. "A women...?" he said.

He stepped towards her threateningly. "Did you escape from the burning village?"

His companion, a shorter man, leered at her. "What, did you think you could take refuge in the mountain?" he smirked.

'What? These guys...' Kasane thought, sweating from nervousness.

The taller soldier suddenly grabbed her wrist. "Your home is gone. Where were you going to run? Now, come to the castle with us-"

"EEEEEEK!" Kasane yelled, interrupting him. She was confused, but these two certainly weren't going to help her. Kasane slipped from his grasp and dashed off, hoping to escape from them.

"Ah! Hey you!" the tall one yelled. He hadn't been expecting that.

'What is this! What's going on! Is this some kind of joke!" Kasane said to herself.

The tall soldier made no move to chase after her, but smirked as the shorter one raised a arm and threw his spear at Kasane. She covered her ears and ducked, managing to narrowly avoid being hit by the spear. Instead, the spear hit a tree with a loud thump.

"EEK!" Kasane screamed.

The tall soldier grinned. "What a pain." he remarked. His companion smirked again and sneered. "If you want to blame someone, blame your ruler for allowing himself to be so skillfully betrayed."

Kasane, out of breath, thought in confusion, 'What?' She had no idea who they were talking about.

'Just what's going on hear? Masamune! Kotestu...!'

[Inside the Prison Cell]

Kasane stared in confusion at the stiff wooden bars. The tall solider stood guard in front of the locked prison door, and her hands were bound. Kasane stood up.

'What now...? Just what is this place?' she thought. Her heart beat loudly, resounding in her head. 'How did I end up here alone?'

She wobbled weakly and said, "L...Let me go home...!" As she stepped toward the bars, her foot caught on a stone and her head fell forward.

BAM! Kasane's head hit the wooden prison bars.

"Ah...!" A female voice behind her gasped. "A-Are you okay?" the speaker, a gentle-looking girl, stepped forward.

Kasane's eyes were out of focus. "...No..." she muttered. "Eh?" the girl tilted her head in confusion.

"...No, it doesn't hurt..." Kasane said. Her heart thudded loudly, and beads of sweat collected on her brow. Kasane looked back at the group of girls. 'Huh?' she thought.

They murmured suspiciously among themselves.

'Why is everyone wearing weird clothes...?' she thought. 'I don't know where I am...Who are these people? Where to Masamune and Kotestu go...?' Kasane clenched her hands tightly. "All this...Don't tell me...I'm dreaming?" she said aloud.

Kasane's mind slowly began clearing up again, and she mumbled. "Th-That's...it...Otherwise, it doesn't make sense...The three of us were on our way home from the match...So there's no way I could just get taken off to a jail like this...!"

Kasane felt more and more relieved. "That's right, I'm dreaming...Yeah!" Her cheerful spirit came back and she sighed in relief. "Yep, it's a dream! Wow! Haha, really! Here I was getting desperate! Phew, thank god!"

Suddenly, a pair of hands touched her shoulders.

"EEEEEEEEEK!" Kasane yelled as a voice said "Excuse me" from behind her. "Ah...I'm sorry" the voice said. It was the pretty girl from before.

"Oh oops. That felt so real it scared me...What is it?" Kasane said sheepishly.

"Nothing, I just thought you might be hurt...Since you hit you head" the girl said.

Kasane smiled cheerily. "My good health is my best feature!" she exclaimed.

"Oh really..." the girl said. 'Hm? But before she was...' the girl thought to herself.

Another female voice said something from behind the two.

"'A dream'...huh. Hmph." the speaker was an older woman."Well, I can see why you'd want to believe that. Since all of us are-" she was interrupted as a sudden thud sounded down the corridor.

Everyone turned to see what had caused it and winced.


	3. Chapter 3

**My first fanfic, so be kind please! X3**

**I don't own anything, only my OC Kei.**

* * *

><p>Two soldiers were escorting another girl to the prison.<p>

She had her wrists tied together, and she walked slowly, almost as if to annoy her escorts.

The two soldiers prodded her with their spears, urging her on.

All the female prisoners silently watched as the small procession filed towards them.

The girl's face was hidden by her hair, and she looked quietly at the ground and showed no signs of distress or desperation.

The clothes she wore were similar to Kasane's, and both were dirty.

Everyone except Kasane looked away and huddled against the wall upon the soldiers' arrival.

Several of the girls whimpered pitifully, shivering in fear.

The guard in front of the prison door silently opened the lock with his keys, and the two soldiers escorting the girl threw her into the prison.

She hit the floor with a dull thud, and everyone edged silently away from her.

The guard sneered contemptuously as he locked the door again.

After they all had left, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

They had all been tensed with nervousness when the soldiers were there.

No one had liked being roughly shoved into the dark prison by the soldiers.

None of them made a move towards the girl lying on the floor, although Kasane stared curiously at her.

Suddenly the girl winced and lifted her head, a small bruise on her face from falling on the dirt floor.

Several of the girls stiffened and looked quickly away.

They whispered among themselves nervously.

Her eyes were a dark blue-grey color that constrasted sharply with her white skin and semi-straight brown hair.

Kasane was the first to recover. She had suddenly realized something.

"C-Captain!" she squeaked.

The girl blinked and looked in Kasane's direction.

Her brow furrowed. "What are you doing here, Kusanagi?"

Kasane leaped forward and helped the girl sit up.

"Captain, what are you doing in my dream?" she innocently asked.

The girl, who looked to be older than Kasane, silently regarded her.

'So she hasn't realized it yet...' she thought.

Kasane blinked, and grinned.

"Never mind that! Anyway, I'm sooo happy to see you captain! Weren't you away on some business though?"

The captain narrowed her eyes.

'Should I tell her it isn't a dream?' she thought. 'It might be better to let her be. I don't know what the effects might be if I do tell her...'

She was about to nod and answer Kasane's questions when the older women suddenly burst in.

"You two know each other?" she barked.

"Yeah!" Kasane responded proudly. "Her name's Ishikawa Kei, and she's my high school kendo captain! She's soo awesome and cool, and she's the best in the nation!"

Everyone stared at Kasane, who was still grinning enthusiastically.

Kei inwardly sighed. Her charge was...a little too enthusiastic.

The older women looked at Kasane, confusion written across her face. "'High school'...'kendo'? I have no idea what you're talking about.

Anyway," her voice hardened. "face it girl, er... girls, we're going to be _sold_."

Kasane looked shocked. "S...Sold?" Even if everything was a dream, she still disliked the idea.

Kei frowned slightly.

Despite knowing the customs of the people of olden day Japan, she still didn't exactly welcome the idea of slavery or some other kind of forced labor.

The older women continued speaking.

"That's right. Because the masters here, the Yamaguchis, betrayed the province."

Confused, Kasane asked, "Umm...What do you mean?"

The pretty girl took over.

"A new lord just recently inherited the position of ruler of Owari, our province. Yamaguchi Noritsugu and Noriyoshi were governors here at Narumi Castle, but...The moment our previous lord, whom was well-respected, passed away, they went to the neighboring province and surrendered this territory. Soldiers invaded our land and destroyed our village."

Kasane looked up, shocked at what the girl had just said.

"Destroyed...! Your homes too...!"

The older woman spoke again.

"Not only our homes, but our fields and wells were also burnt. We're allowed to live for now, but that's just so we can be sold off to our enemies, to work until we die."

Her tone was bitter and hard.

"Ugh..." the pretty girl sobbed.

"Dummy, don't cry!" the older women scolded.

"Uh...*hic* but Yone..." the girl cried.

She covered her face with her tied-up hands as tears streamed down her face and dropped onto her lap.

"I'm crying...because I haven't seen my little brother in ages, and now I never will...!" she burst into tears, and Kasane looked sadly at her.

Yone, the older woman, looked back up at Kasane.

"It's not just Sayo." she said stiffly.

"Suzu's mom was killed. My little girl was taken away, and I don't know if she's still alive."

Kei sighed inwardly.

She'd read about how the lords fought, all at the expense of the poor, but hearing their sob-stories in person was...completely different, to say the least.

Yone continued speaking. "All of this is that idiot young lord's fault. It's always us common folk who wind up like this."

Kasane settled on the ground silently, and Yone closed her eyes. "Anyways, you'd better resign yourself. We'll never see our families again."

Suddenly, another sobbing voice sounded in the silence.

Sayo and Yone looked up in surprise at Kasane, who had suddenly started crying.

"W...Wait, why are you crying?" Yone demanded uncomfortably.

Kasane rubbed her eyes and said, "Then...Let's go talk to that lord in person."

Silence filled the room again.

Kei smiled to herself. She could always count of Kasane to be extra optimistic.

"Huh?" Yone said.

Kasane wiped her tears away and said, "Let's get out of her, Sayo."

She looked up, a determined look on her face.

"Everyone, let's escape!"

Yone burst in, "Wh-What are you saying! We're in Narumi Castle, which was taken by the Imagawas! Getting out of a place like this..."

Her voice faded away.

"But...If we stay here like this, we won't be able to do anything!" Kasane persisted.

Sayo looked hopefully at Kasane, while Yone looked uncomfortably away.

"What if the rest of your family escaped and is waiting for you at the village?" Kasane said.

"Yone, your daughter..." Kasane began crying again.

"I'm sure she's waiting for you somewhere..."

Yone stiffened. 'What a weird girl. And she and her friend are wearing such weird clothes...' she thought.

"...Fine, just stop dripping all over the place." she said.

Kei got up and stood behind Kasane, supporting her.

She looked around at everyone.

"I'm all for it." she said, addressing the group.

"I'm quite certain I don't want to just work my ass off until I die. Any chance of getting out of here, no matter the risks, is worth it in my mind. And you guys?"

Kei looked around.

Her eyes stopped on Sayo, who began speaking.

Sayo murmured quietly. "I...I want...I want to see my brother again!"

Kasane stared happily at Sayo, and Kei smiled inwardly.

"Sayo..." Kasane began gently.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be able to see him again!"

Yone sighed. "But...all of us are tied up. We can't move around, so how?"

Kasane looked down at the coarse rope binding her hand's together.

"It'll work out...It's gotta." she said.

'Since this is a dream anyway!' Kasane thought.

"If you set your sights on it, you can do anything!"

She opened her mouth wide, and chomped down on the rope.

"!" the group gasped.

"Kasane...I'm not sure tha-" Kei had begun to say.

Too late.

Yone stared at the two ends of Kasane's rope cautiously.

"I can't believe it, she actually gnawed through this...!" she said. "Is she an animal...?"

Kasane ignored her and moved on to the prison door.

Sayo was staring forlornly at it.

"But the key to our cell..." she said sadly.

Kei smiled and patted Sayo on the back.

"I got it" she said, removing one of her hairpins.

Kei stuck it into the lock and fiddled around with it while Kasane and Sayo watched, curious.

"Hmm... They need better locks." Kei said, shaking her head in disapproval.

With a click, the lock opened gently.

Kei put her hairpin back into place and pushed the prison door open.

She walked out, and looked around.

"The guard left, but we should still be careful." Kei said.

She looked back at the group, which was hushed.

"Is there a problem?" Kei asked.

"Captain...Hairpins are amazing..." Kasane said, her eyes wide.

She stared intensely at the clips in Kei's hair.

Everyone else vigorously nodded their heads in agreement.

The guard suddenly returned.

He had heard their talking and came back to check up on them.

"What's all this fuss about! Keep it down!" he yelled. "Be good and settle d-?"

The guard noticed that they were all crowded around the prison door, which was swinging wide open.

Half of them were already out.

"Hey! Just how did you get out of there?" he yelled angrily, prepared to use his sword.

The girls backed away, scared.

"Kasane!" Sayo shivered, her hands clasped to her breast.

"Sayo, guys, stay back." Kasane faced the guard, ready to defend her new friends.

Suddenly she heard a voice behind her.

"Kasane, you need a weapon!" Kei whispered urgently.

"Uh...But where can I get one?" Kasane whispered back.

Kei quickly looked around.

She spotted a long piece of wood leaning against the wall and smiled. 'Will do.'

She faked a scream, drawing everyone's attention. "KYAA! It's a soldier! I don't want to die!" Kei squealed.

"Wha- Hey!" the guard's attention was temporarily disrupted, providing a perfect opening for her.

"Just kidding", Kei murmured to him, and she dove towards the piece of wood.

"Kusanagi, CATCH!" she yelled, and she threw the piece of wood directly at Kasane.

"Wah...?" Kasane instinctively reached up and caught it.

"Ah, thanks Captain!" she yelled back.

"What?" the guard stiffened, bewildered at this turn of events.

"Kusanagi Style unsheathing technique!" Kasane called out.

She drove the wood up and diagonal, making an X shape that smashed into the guard's jaw.

"_Cloudbank_!"

WHAM!

"...A-..." Sayo said in astonishment.

Yone finished her sentence. "Amazing! Just what is she?"

The girls squealed loudly and piled on top of Kasane.

"You're so cool! What was that! You're soo strong, Kusanagi-san!" they yelled loudly.

Kei smiled and patted Kasane's back.

"Good job Kusanagi" she said in approval. "It seems you've improved greatly while I was gone. I'll have to make sure you don't surpass me now!"

Kasane eyes shined brightly. "Captain... Thank you~! I'm so glad you noticed! I practiced a lot while you were gone!"


	4. Chapter 4

**My first fanfic, so be kind please! X3**

**I don't own anything, only my OC Kei.**

* * *

><p>[Meanwhile...Outside the castle...]<p>

"Hmm...?" a guy with a ponytail tilted his head towards the sounds of the girls squealing.

"Gorouza! There's some kind of ruckus coming from inside." he said, ignoring the beaten-up soldier he grasped by the neck.

* * *

><p>TAP TAP TAP TAP...Kasane, Kei, and the girls ran toward the exit.<p>

"They may have noticed our raid." Gorouza said.

"Kuranosuke, scout the area and report back."

The third member of their team, Kuranosuke, nodded.

"...Got it."

He lightly jumped up and over the wall, as his other companion muttered, "He's light on his feet!"

* * *

><p>TAP TAP TAP... Kasane ran ahead of the rest, with Kei right behind her.<p>

'The guards are bigger than me and have armor. Kei and I are at a total disadvantage.' Kasane thought.

Kasane glanced back at Kei, who was nonchalantly looking forward.

'Eh? I never noticed she had a katana.' Kasane thought.

'Wait a second... That was the soldier's sword! Captain sure is smart.'

She looked forward again and tensed.

A corner was right up ahead, and she felt a presence behind it.

Kuranosuke stood silently behind it, waiting in ambush.

'In a situation like this, it has to be an instant kill...' he thought to himself, gun at the ready.

'I'll strike the moment they pass by!' the two thought in unison.

Kasane slowed to a stop and narrowed her eyes. She swung her sword at the same time Kuranosuke swung his gun.

"...Huh?" the two said, staring at each other. Both had just barely missed the other.

Kuranosuke stared at the piece of wood Kasane was using as a sword, and Kasane looked into the barrels of the gun Kuranosuke was using.

"?" Kasane said, confused.

This boy looked nothing like an Imagawa soldier.

Both of them slowly lowered their weapons.

'What?' she thought.

Kuranosuke stared right back at her.

'Huh?' he thought.

Both said to themselves, 'Who's the shortie?'

"Hey..." Kuranosuke said.

This strange-looking girl was certainly not an enemy.

"You there... Where'd you come from..." he began.

THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD. Six large rocks hit him full on.

Sayo and the other girls held up more, just in case.

"Are-Are you okay!" Sayo demanded worriedly.

Kuranosuke hit the floor with a(nother) thud, unconscious.

Kei knelt down and prodded him. She held up his gun and examined it.

It certainly looked like it was from the Sengoku era...the way it was made.

"Sayo! Everyone!" Kasane exclaimed.

"What happened?" Sayo asked.

Kasane pointed down at Kuranosuke's unconscious body.

"I don't think this shortie is one of the castle guards..." she began explaining.

She was interrupted by the arrival of Kuranosuke's companions.

"AAAAH! Kura's DEAD!" one of them yelled.

Kuranosuke certainly looked that way, and Kei prodding him with his gun added to that affect.

"RAHH! Damn you, IMAGAWAS!" the guy with the ponytail yelled.

He stomped forward with his spear.

"Eh? Who's he?" Kasane exclaimed, oblivious.

The guy stabbed his spear towards Kasane, but was deflected in the nick of time by Kei, who had used the katana.

"C-Captain!" exclaimed Kasane.

"!" said the ponytail dude.

Kei wasn't done yet, however.

She flipped ponytail dude upside down, and tossed him on top of Kuranosuke.

"Ahh!" he exclaimed as he hit his buddy's body(lol) with a thud.

"Oomph! Get off me!" Kuranosuke yelled.

Suddenly, Gorouza arrived at the scene.

"..." said Kei.

"Another one!" exclaimed Kasane.

Gorouza glanced at the pile of bodies.

"Oh my...What exactly happened here...?" he asked.

"Who are you?" Kasane and the girls stared at him.

"Eh...? Now it's a girl?" Kasane said in confusion.

Gorouza certainly looked like a female, with his large eyes, silky brown hair, slim physique.

* * *

><p>[A While Later...]<p>

Gorouza laughed. "Haha, so the 'prisoners' rescued themselves!" he exclaimed.

"Looks like...With this war ongoing, you Owari women are toughening up."

Kasane tilted her head in confusion.

"'War'...? Um, who are you?"

Gorouza smiled.

"My apologies," he said.

"I am Niwa Gorouzaemon Nagahide, vassal to Lord Owari, the lord of Nagoya Castle."

Gorouza motioned towards Kuranosuke, who was rubbing his bruised head as the girls apologized for throwing rocks at him.

"Same with Sassa Kuranosuke Narimasa,"

Gorouza turned towards ponytail guy, who was fidgeting restlessly,

" and Maeda Matazaemon Toshiie. He goes by Inuchiyo."

Inuchiyo and Gorouza leaned in towards Kasane and Kei.

Kasane, being shorter than everyone else in their party except for Kuranosuke, felt intimidated.

'They're huge...' She thought to herself.

"Anyways..." Gorouza continued.

"We were ordered to come get the prisoners at Narumi Castle..."

He was cut off by Inuchiyo (ponytail guy), who had excitedly began speaking to Kei.

"Hey hey! How'd you do that back then? The tuck and twirl!" he asked.

Kei's eye twitched. "Ahh...that..." she said slowly.

She looked over at the other two and raised an eyebrow.

Gorouza, seeing his partner hanging excitedly over Kei, firmly reprimanded his partner.

"...Inuchiyo. 'Stay!' No talking."

Inuchiyo pouted but obliged. One could almost see his "ears" drooping like a dog.

'Is he trained?' thought Kasane nervously.

"So the Yamaguchis have just betrayed us and allowed the Imagawas entry?" said Gorouza.

He had been catching up on what had happened.

"We aren't going to be able to stop the warriors who are taking advantage of the fighting and causing trouble. I'm especially worried about the people in the villages in the area..."

Yone suddenly burst into the conversation.

"Do you expect us to believe that?" she said bitterly.

"Yone." Kasane murmured, looking over to where Yone stood with Sayo and the other girls.

"We don't have anything to do with what's caused all this, but the common people are always to ones who suffer."

She stepped bravely towards Gorouza.

"This is all because our new lord never conducted himself properly. Can you deny that?"

Kei frowned. What Yone was saying was true, the common people always bore the brunt of the noblemen's bickering.

Yone continued on, her tone hardening.

"Tell me, how are we supposed to believe in a lord like that?"

Silence settled over the small group, with tension crackling in the air between the vassals and the girls.

"You're insulting our lord." Inuchiyo bluntly said.

Yone said nothing to deny that, instead staring back at them.

Kei sighed inwardly.

A stormy mood hung drearily in the air between them, with Kasane and her caught right in the middle.

Kasane, suddenly sensing the mood, glanced at both of the groups.

"W-Wait, hold it!" she yelled, sticking a hand out in front of Gorouza in case he decided to do something violent.

"Forget that, we've got to hurry and get out of here!" Kasane exclaimed.

She rushed over to the girls' side, her arms waving about.

"You too Yone, right now we've got to escape!"

Kei smiled. Leave it up to Kasane to clear up any bad mood.

Kasane continued speaking.

"Once we get out of here you can go and personally tell him your complaints, okay?" she reminded everyone.

"'Personally'?" Gorouza said, surprised.

"Yep, we'll let that lord have it!" Kasane affirmed confidently.

"I see." Gorouza said.

"'Personally'...True enough, if you don't tell him face-to-face, he won't understand. To do that, let's head to the battlefield."

Everyone quieted and looked at Gorouza.

"Right now, our lord is facing off at 'Akatsuka'...with Lord Yamaguchi Noriyoshi."

* * *

><p>[Owari, Akatsuka]<p>

Noriyoshi watched, shocked, as his men desperately fought against the opposing force.

STOMP. The line of men advanced, the spears held out in front of them.

"Ahh! Don't break formation!" he cried, but his soldiers were already panicking and stumbling backwards.

Impossible!' Noriyoshi thought to himself.

Beads of sweat collected on his forehead.

'Our forces are 1500 strong, and theirs at best are 700...!'

He stared incredulously at the line of advancing men.

'With our superior numbers, we should have the advantage! That new fool of a lord didn't inherit his family's military genius. Once we knew that, my family chose to gamble on the Imagawas. It was so we could survive in these turbulent times...!'

Noriyoshi stared, frozen with fear, as his enemy slowly advanced out of the mist.

In the background, he could vaguely hear the screams of his soldiers as they ran away in desperation.

"And yet..._How_!" Noriyoshi exclaimed.

'What's going on!'

The young man in the front of the line raised his hand coolly, as if he was oblivious the the screams of the retreating force.

For a moment, his hand paused in midair. Then, it swung downwards, giving the others a command to advance.

The callers noted the movement and yelled out "Ready!" to the soldiers, who systematically raised their spears in preparation, and began their attack.

* * *

><p>[Kasane and Kei's group]<p>

Kasane huffed as she, Kei, and the trio ran forwards.

"Don't you think this is strange, Mr. Niwa?" she asked.

Kei looked back at Kasane and nodded.

"I agree with her. We should probably get ready for an ambush of sorts. In my experience, people don't usually give up so easily..."

Gorouza narrowed his eyes. "...I know" he remarked.

"...And you can call me Gorouza."

Inuchiyo tilted his head. "Hey hey, what is..?" he exclaimed, oblivious to the situation.

Gorouza sighed.

"Hush, Inuchiyo." he said.

"Kuranosuke, guard the rear."

Behind him, Kuranosuke nodded and slowed down till he was behind them.

Inuchiyo, on the other hand, was disappointed at behind ignored and retreated to his "corner of woe."

Kei smiled and remarked, "He's just like a Labrador."

"We're getting away so easily...There hasn't been a single guard on the way." Kasane said worryingly.

"Looking from Narumi, the battlefield Akatsuka lies east of San no Yama...so we've passed along the west side of it." Gorouza muttered.

"Once you exit this forest there's open coastline. Our opponents letting us come this far..."

The group slowed to a stop as they reached the edge of the forest.

"...Most likely means they took car-horses ahead of us-" Kei said.

Just as expected, a group of soldiers on horseback were waiting for them.

"-and ambushed us!"

One of the men smirked.

"Did you truly think you'd escape from the castle so easily?" he said mockingly.

Kei tightened her grip on her katana.

"This...is not good." Gorouza quietly whispered to her and Kasane.

Kei slowly nodded, keeping her gaze locked on the group of Imagawa soldiers.

They had spread out in a crescent formation to prevent anyone from running off.

Behind them, Kuranosuke shushed the group of girls, who were whimpering pitifully.

"It seems like that fool's trained up some brats of his own." The soldier continued.

"But for him to think that he could penetrate the castle with so few of you...pfft..." he shook his head mockingly.

"Ahaha, maybe you were left behind when the army marched, and now you're playing a little war game here?"

The soldier leaned forward on his saddle and laughed, oblivious to Inuchiyo's rising fury.

"Oh no, that's the worst thing he could have said..." Gorouza face-palmed.

"Shut up. I... I... Well, I..."

Inuchiyo shook angrily and clenched his spear.

"I wanted to go with the master! Idiots!" Inuchiyo yelled.

He leapt forwards at the soldiers with his spear and began smacking them.

"Ahh! Who is this guy!" they yelled, trying to control their panicking horses.

SLAM.

"ARGH!"

"RAWWUUH!"

"Wahh! Hold him down!"

The soldiers desperately tried to restrain Inuchiyo and keep their balance on their horses.

Kasane, Kei, and the rest of the group watched nervously at the ensuing commotion.

"Perfect. Since Inuchiyo's lost it, we'll join in the fray and buy you some time." Gorouza said as he reached for the sword on his back.

"Escape when you get the chance, Kasane, Kei."

Kei shook her head. "I'll stay and help. The group needs you to lead them, and both me and Kasane are unfamiliar with this area." she said.

"No...I'll fight too!" Kasane burst in.

She looked stubbornly at Kei.

"Kasane!" Sayo exclaimed.

"But..." Gorouza muttered.

"I was the one who first talked about escaping. Everyone wants to get back to their villages." Kasane pressed.

She smiled confidently and pulled up her sleeves.

"Don't worry! If you look closely, you can tell I was raised in a dojo. No matter what happens, I'm sure to win!"

Kei sighed, then nodded at Kasane. "If you say so..."

She looked at Gorouza.

"Me and Kasane will back up Lab-Inuchiyo. We'll catch up with you guys when we've cleaned up this mess. Don't worry, Kasane's right. We're _sure to win_."

Gorouza and the girls stared at the two.

'Sure to...?' Gorouza thought.

'Smiling in a situation like this...I guess there are other strange people in this world besides my 'master'.

He smiled at them and turned around.

"Then...I'll take these guys." he said.

"Okay, leave it to us!" Kasane exclaimed.

She and Kei began to walk towards Inuchiyo.

Suddenly, as if out of thin air, a rain of arrows showered down on them.

"Kasane!" Kei yelled.

"Duck!"

Kasane flinched and closed her eyes as several arrows came close to hitting her.

"!" she exclaimed.

A group of archers emerged from the bushes, bows at the ready.

"Win, you said?" he laughed.

Kasane and Kei backed off protectively towards the girls.

"More soldiers from the forest..." Sayo whispered.

She shivered violently and hid behind Kei.

"I'm impressed you made it this far on those girly little legs of yours. But don't think we'll let you win so easily." the archer continued.

They began exchanging their bows for swords.

"How about you be good and go back to the castle?" He asked mockingly.

Kasane clenched her fist and tightened her grip on her sword/stick.

'Masamune, Kotetsu...!' she thought.

* * *

><p>[Back in the future with Masamune, Kotetsu, and the Vice-captain.]<p>

The bicycle leaned on the wall, along with the duffel bag and the wrapped-up _shinai_.

Masamune and Kotetsu stared forlornly at them.

"Kasane..." Masamune whispered.

"I wonder where she went..."

The vice-captain looked away.

Kotetsu clutched his shirt and teared up.

*Sniff* "It's all my fault..." he cried.

"Kotetsu..." Masamune whispered.

"My fault...Where did Kasane go...!" Kotetsu sobbed.

The vice-captain closed her eyes as the two began bawling.

"UWAAAHHHHH!" They both sobbed loudly.

THWACK THWACK!

The vice-captain smacked the two on their foreheads with her paper.

"Don't cry dummies!" she scolded.

"...! Vice-captain...Ow" The two muttered in confusion.

They rubbed their foreheads, but both had stopped bawling.

"You're boys, aren't you? Shape up! You're pathetic!" the vice-captain reprimanded them.

"But...But...Sis is..." they said.

"You guys...are the little brothers of my kendo club's 'general', you know!" The vice exclaimed.

She breathed out, and smiled.

"Wherever she is, do you think she's going to be defeated? Our Kusanagi Kasane."

* * *

><p>[X Company Headquarters]<p>

The young man seated behind the desk surveyed the folder of papers and frowned.

"She disappeared?" he asked.

An older man, standing in front of the desk, nodded.

"She hasn't been found after she tried to protect...Satomi-san from a car."

The young man involuntarily flinched.

"Don't say that name here!" he exclaimed angrily.

The older man bowed his head. "As you wish, sir."

The young man swiveled his chair around so he faced the windows.

"Send your men out to recover Kei. She can't have gone far."

He looked away.

"And...bring Satomi to my private hospital. She'll receive better care there."

The older man looked sadly at his employer's back.

'He still can't forget her after all these years... But neither can I. To be so young and have your heart broken... I can't imagine how strong he is.' the old man thought to himself.

"Then I'll take my leave sir." he murmured.

Slowly the older man backed out of the room and quietly closed the door.

"Satomi...I'm sorry. I couldn't protect you... and now your younger sister has vanished." the young man whispered quietly.

He looked sadly at a picture on his desk.

It was a snapshot of himself, Kei, and a beautiful lady laughing and smiling together.

"My love..." he said gently.

He raised a hand and slowly traced the face of the lady with his finger.


	5. Chapter 5

**My first fanfic, so be kind please! X3**

**I don't own anything, only my OC Kei.**

* * *

><p>[Kei, Kasane, and the group.]<p>

SMACK!

Kasane slammed her piece of wood into the soldier's spear.

"Wh-!" he exclaimed.

The soldier raised his spear, preparing to drive it into Kasane's head.

'Torso hit!' Kasane said to herself.

She swung her piece of wood into his left side, which had been left vulnerable by his attempt to hit her.

DOINNNG!

Kasane quivered violently.

She had struck his armor, and now her hand felt numb with pain.

'I hit his armor...My hand's gone numb!' she thought.

Suddenly she felt a presence behind her.

Another soldier swung his sword at her.

"!" Kasane exclaimed.

WSH! SMACK!

"Careful, Kusanagi!" Kei yelled.

She had managed to block the soldier with her stolen katana.

SLAM!

Kei slid backwards with the power of the blow.

She winced and wiped her forehead.

"Captain!" Kasane yelled.

Kei smiled at Kasane. "I'm fine Kusanagi."

She dashed forwards again towards the soldiers.

Wielding her katana, Kei deftly dodged their spears and swung her katana sideways.

"Ugh!" one of them exclaimed as he narrowly avoided losing a chunk of his side.

"Second art..._Whirl of the Autumn Leaves_!" Kei yelled.

She jumped up and whipped her sword in a circle, smacking all of the soldiers' hands.

"Ow!" they exclaimed.

Their weapons dropped out of their hands.

"My sword!" one of them yelled.

Suddenly a soldier stepped forwards.

"We weren't told to kill you..." He said slowly.

He grabbed Sayo.

"But if you resist too much... We'll have to get a little rough with you."

Sayo screamed out in surprise and fear.

"Sayo!" Kasane yelled.

'No! I should have watched the girls!' Kei thought.

"I don't like useless killing." The soldier continued.

He smirked and gripped Sayo's chin, forcing it upwards.

"If we can end this now, we won't have to dishonor you needlessly."

Sayo whimpered fearfully.

"! Let her go!" Kasane yelled as she angrily advanced towards him.

A hand grabbed her shoulder, restraining her.

"Eh...?" Kasane said in surprise.

The hand patted her on the shoulder.

It was Yone.

She turned towards the soldier.

"Let her go." she said. "We'll...return to our cell."

Kasane approached her. "Yone...!" she said anxiously.

Her friend interrupted her. "That's enough Kasane."

She shook her head sadly. "...It's fine."

Kei looked at the both of them and bit her lip. She slowly lowered her katana.

Yone continued.

"We never had any hope." she said. "The moment the village was attacked we were defeated."

Behind her, a girl began crying, while her friends patted her and looked away from Kei and Kasane.

Yone paused, and said painfully, "Let's just...end this."

Sayo glanced at her, and closed her eyes with a feeling of despair.

"Same here..." she said. "My brothers are gone..."

She stopped struggling in the soldier's grip and let go of his arm.

Kasane looked down.

"But those two... They keep on rolling." she said slowly.

"Unlike me, they have no interest in fighting, and don't understand the competitions at all, but..."

Kei approached her and put a hand on her shoulder encouragingly.

Kasane looked at her, and Kei smiled.

She gripped her wooden stick.

"But..." she continued.

Kasane grinned.

"They smile for me."

As the girls looked on in surprise, she laughed.

"When I win a fight, they smile and clap their hands for me."

Kasane shrugged her shoulders and rubbed the back of her head.

"Er, what am I saying?" she said goofily.

"I guess that it's great to be alive, yeah."

Kei smiled and ruffled Kasane's hair.

Sayo closed her eyes, and remembered the happy times she shared with her brothers.

Her eyes teared up, and for a moment, she dared to hope again.

* * *

><p>[With Kotetsu, Masamune, and the vice-captain in the future]<p>

The vice-captain watched, her arms folded, as the two twins rubbed their eyes.

Suddenly, they said in unison, "She won't lose!"

The two of them stared bravely up at her.

* * *

><p>[Back in the past, with Kasane, Kei, and the rest]<p>

Kasane clenched her ribbon and breathed out, calming herself.

'It's too soon to give up' she said to herself. 'I...'

She dashed forwards, throwing herself at the soldier and Sayo.

"...Won't lose!" she yelled out.

SLAM

Kasane deftly struck the weak point in the soldier's armor, where his breast-plate connected to his shoulder-plates.

In that moment, Sayo slipped free of his grip, and ducked downwards.

"Wha-!" he exclaimed, as his armor cracked.

"Run!" Kasane yelled at the rest of them.

"Quickly!"

The girls looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

SWISH

Kasane barely managed to avoid the blade of the katana.

She ducked and threw her hands up, catching the handle just as it swung downwards.

'I can't fall back!' she said to herself as she gritted her teeth, trying to push the katana upwards.

_Masamune, Kotetsu! Just you watch!_

Behind her, she heard Kei yell "Kasane" and moved out of the way as Kei struck the sword of the soldier to free her.

"Back-to-back! Quick!" Kei yelled, and the two both readied themselves.

A soldier rushed towards Kei, and the guy who Kasane was facing off with began to swing his sword downwards.

_Your sis..._

Kasane gritted her teeth.

_Won't lose!_

"AHHHHH!" the two girls yelled as they prepared to exchange blows with the soldiers.

* * *

><p>click! BANG<p>

* * *

><p>"...!" the soldier gasped as his sword shattered into a million pieces.<p>

"Eh? I did that?" Kasane said in surprise. She trembled.

"But what was that noise...?"

Kei frowned. It was definitely the sound of a gun going off. But...

She shook her head.

FWSH

The other soldier swung his katana at her and Kasane.

'I better not let this riff-raff get the best of me.' she said to herself.

She slowly brought her stolen sword up.

* * *

><p>"Next." the man said calmly.<p>

One of his assistants bowed and approached with another loaded gun in his hands.

The man cooly grabbed it and twirled it around.

He crossed the two guns together and slowly pressed the trigger.

* * *

><p>CLANG!<p>

The soldier had the sword knocked out of his hands by the force of the bullet.

He began to open his mouth but froze when he saw the blade at his neck.

Kei held the katana point at his throat.

"_Freeze_." she said, and reached out with her free hand to deftly catch the handle of the sword that he let go of as it tumbled downwards in the air.

Yone and the girls stared in surprise at the scene, but Yone suddenly noticed someone.

"Wh- Why is he here...?" she gasped.

The other soldier exclaimed, "W-Who's there? Rather, who are you?"

Kasane, who was kneeling on the ground behind Kei, stared open-mouthed.

As the dust cleared, the strange man said, "I don't recall handing my people to the Imagawas.

Behind him, the curtain of dust revealed a full entourage of mounted samurai, all armed to the teeth.

"This is my territory. _Dogs_."

The two soldiers winced.

Kei watched him thoughtfully. "'My territory'...?" she said.

Kasane jumped in surprise at a loud voice.

"Sis!" it exclaimed.

"Yes?" Kasane returned.

'Ah! I answered reflexively...' she realized.

A young man rushed enthusiastically towards the girls.

"Sis! Sayo!" he exclaimed.

Sayo looked at him in surprise.

"Ko...Kotarou...?" she said.

"It's me! Are you okay sis?" he said worriedly. "I came as fast as I could when I heard the village was attacked."

He gripped her shoulders.

"Thank god! Thank god you're alive!" he exclaimed joyfully.

Sayo recovered from her shock and began tearing up with happiness.

Kasane smiled at the happy reunion.

'Sayo...' she said to herself.

Gorouza and his partners rushed towards the strange man.

"My lord!" Gorouza exclaimed.

"How goes the fight against Yamaguchi..."

Kasane popped out and interrupted them.

"Excuse me." she said politely.

"Kasane. Kei." Gorouza noticed them.

Kei was holding her now two stolen swords at the neck of the soldiers. She dipped her head in recognition and turned back to her two charges.

Kasane said bluntly, "Are you that lord that no one has any faith in?" to the strange man.

Gorouza and Yone both stared in shock at Kasane's bluntness.

The lord eyed Kasane.

"...Who are you, girl?" he said.

Gorouza quickly took over and introduced her.

"M-My lord! This is Kasane. She helped us free the prisoners."

He turned towards Kei, who had left the two soldiers and was walking towards them.

"What's going on here?" she asked nonchalantly.

Gorouza nudged her. "And this is Kei. She also assisted us with freeing the prisoners." he remarked.

Kasane broke in.

"Everyone...is worried." she said.

"My lord! One day soon... Please make this a country where everyone can live together with their family."

The young lord eyed her.

"Family...?" he said slowly.

Kasane nodded, turned towards Yone and the girls, and began waving at them.

"Yone! I kept my promise!" she said.

Yone hurriedly turned away and whispered, "Don't wave at me! They'll think we're together!"

The young lord silently reached for a spear, igniting worry amongst his retainers.

"Get back girl! Who do you think you-" one of them said to Kasane.

Gorouza began waving his arms in confusion as his lord yanked the spear out.

"My lord!" he exclaimed.

The other retainers began trying to calm their lord.

"This is...a child's joke, yes? If you might forgive her...!'

Kasane, oblivious to the commotion, was still smiling at Yone.

The lord shifted his spear in her direction as a retainer yelled, "You mustn't, my lord!"

"Please don't do this..." another yelled as he gripped the spear.

"Lord Nobunaga!"

* * *

><p>THUD<p>

Kei twirled around and gasped.

The spear flew right by Kasane's side, tearing through her ribbon.

Kasane's mouth was open in shock.

The spear met it's target, killing the soldier who had sneaked up behind Kasane instantly.

He wobbled, and fell down, saying "Damn", one last time.

Kasane looked down at the blood splattered out beneath her.

Her heartbeat grew louder and louder as she slowly raised a trembling hand to her face.

A wet, sticky, blood-red liquid had splattered onto her cheek, and she wiped it away.

'It's warm...' she registered.

Kasane's legs gave away, and she knelt on the ground in shock.

Behind her, the dead soldier was splayed on his back, spear through his chest.

"_This...isn't...a dream..._" she muttered.

A feeling of realization slowly dawned on her, and with a final wobble, she fainted.

"Kasane!" Kei, Yone, and Sayo exclaimed, as their friend fell over backwards.

Kei sighed. She knew that Kasane would have to realize eventually.

She began running over to her friend.

"This girl..." Gorouza said. "Just who is she?"

Lord Nobunaga watched Kei and Kasane and turned his horse away.

"Return to Nagoya." he said to Gorouza.

"And bring _those two _along as well."

* * *

><p><strong>End of First Day<strong>


	6. Notice of Site Change! Sorry about this

NOTICE: I am officially moving to this site called Wattpad. My RL friend is pretty much addicted to it, so I hope that will give me more encouragement to finish my stories XP Sorry for not updating in forever ._. OTL Gomen! Anyway, I'll will (try my best to) continue my stories on Wattpad So if it isn't bothersome, please support me there . user/RainCat Peace-out!


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